DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 6, filed 03/17/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-11 under 35 USC 112(b) have been fully considered and are persuasive, in light of the amendments to the claims. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of the newly-amended claim language.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to rejections of claim(s) 1-11 under 35 USC 102 and 103, as well as the applicability of KABUNE to new claim 12, have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the relay box is. . . located from at least the inverter casing in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the electric motor " in lines 13-14. This limitation renders the claim indefinite as it is unclear what relationship exists between the box and the inverter casing;
do the relay box and the inverter casing necessarily lie along the same radial/perpendicular line or is the relay box merely located apart from the inverter casing,
does the relay box extend directly from the inverter casing or is it located remotely from the inverter casing?
Claim 3 recites the limitation "the relay box is from the motor casing, the gear casing, and the inverter casing in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the electric motor.” This limitation renders the claim indefinite as it is unclear what relationship exists between the box and the casings;
do the relay box and the casings necessarily lie along the same radial/perpendicular line or is the relay box merely located apart from the casings,
does the relay box extend directly from the casings or is it located remotely from the casings?
Claims 2-14 depend from indefinite claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KRAUSE (US 20210129654) in view of SONG (US 20120007552).
Regarding claim 1, KRAUSE discloses a drive device, comprising:
an electric motor (1,2) configured to rotationally drive a wheel of a vehicle (see para [0002]);
a motor casing (9) housing the electric motor (1,2);
a gear (6) connected to the electric motor (1,2);
a gear casing (6a) housing the gear (6);
an inverter (16) electrically connected to the electric motor (1,2);
an inverter casing (4a; specifically, the lower portion; see annotated Fig. 1, below) housing the inverter (16); and
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a switch box (4a; specifically, the upper portion; see annotated Fig. 1, above) and having a switching circuit (21a, 21b) configured to connect a charging inlet (32) of the vehicle to the inverter (see para [0065]),
wherein
the gear casing (6a), the motor casing (9), and the inverter casing are arranged in this order along an axial direction extending parallel to a rotation axis (3) of the electric motor (1,2) (see annotated Fig. 1), and
the box (see annotated Fig. 1) is mounted to at least one of the motor casing (9)(see Fig. 1), the gear casing (6a), and the inverter casing and is located from at least the inverter casing in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the electric motor (1,2) (see annotated Fig. 1).
However, KRAUSE does not disclose the switching box is a relay box including at least one relay connecting the charging inlet to a neutral point of the electric motor.
SONG discloses a drive device with an electric motor (101/102) having a relay box including at least one relay 110 connecting a charging inlet 108 to a neutral point (N1/N2) of the electric motor (see para [0056]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains to provide the drive device of KRAUSE with a relay box including at least one relay connecting the charging inlet to a neutral point of the electric motor similar to that of SONG.
A person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains would have been motivated to make such modification in order to switch on or off the control of the charging port if the presence of an external electricity source and secure a more stable system, as taught by SONG (see para [0057])
Regarding claim 2, KRAUSE in view of SONG teaches the drive device according to claim 1
KRAUSE teaches a connecting hole (i.e. the spaces around cut-out 10) between the inverter casing and the relay box (see Fig. 2), and
an inverter connection circuit (5,16) connecting the inverter (16) and the relay circuit and passing through the connecting hole (see Figs. 1 and 2 and para [0056]).
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Regarding claim 3, KRAUSE in view of SONG teaches the drive device according to claim 1,
KRAUSE teaches the relay box is located from the motor casing (9), the gear casing, and the inverter casing in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the electric motor (1,2) (see Fig. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 4, KRAUSE in view of SONG teaches the drive device according to claim 1.
KRAUSE teaches the axial direction extends along a horizontal direction, and the relay box is located above at least the inverter casing (see annotated Fig. 1, above).
Regarding claim 5, KRAUSE in view of SONG teaches the drive device according to claim 1,
KRAUSE teaches a cooling casing (25,26) being located between the motor casing (9) and the inverter casing (4a) and including a channel (23a) for supplying a heat medium to the inverter (see Fig. 1 and para [0062]).
Regarding claim 6, KRAUSE in view of SONG teaches the drive device according to claim 5, wherein
KRAUSE teaches at least a part of a neutral point connection circuit (22a) connecting the neutral point of the electric motor (1,2) and the relay circuit is located in the cooling casing (25), and
at least the part of the neutral point connection circuit (22a) is configured to be cooled by the heat medium in the cooling casing (see Fig. 1 and para [0060]).
Regarding claim 7, KRAUSE in view of SONG teaches the drive device according to claim 6, wherein
KRAUSE teaches the neutral point connection circuit (22a) extends from the motor casing (9) to the inverter casing (4a) through the cooling casing (25; see Fig. 1), and
the neutral point connection circuit (22a) extends from the inverter casing (4a) to the relay box (see Figs. 1 and 2 and para [0056]).
Regarding claim 8, KRAUSE in view of SONG teaches the drive device according to claim 5, wherein
KRAUSE and SONG teaches the electric motor (1,2) is a three-phase AC motor (see KRAUSE para [0012]; SONG para [0034]),
SONG teaches the electric motor (1,2) is connected to the inverter via a U phase circuit, a V phase circuit, and a W phase circuit (see SONG para [0037]),
KRAUSE and SONG teach at least a part of the U phase circuit, at least a part of the V phase circuit and at least a part of the W phase circuit are located in the cooling casing (25, KRAUSE; see KRAUSE Fig. 1), and at least the part of the U phase circuit, at least the part of the V phase circuit and at least the part of the W phase circuit are configured to be cooled by the heat medium in the cooling casing (the claimed cooling function can be performed by the cooling circuit disclosed in KRAUSE; the prior art apparatus teaches all the structural limitations of the claim; see MPEP 2114).
Regarding claim 9, KRAUSE in view of SONG teaches the drive device according to claim 1, further comprising
KRAUSE teaches a connecting hole (i.e. the spaces around cut-out 10) between the inverter casing and the relay box, an inverter connection circuit connecting the inverter (16) and the relay circuit, and passing through the connecting hole (see Figs. 1 and 2); and
KRAUSE teaches a neutral point connection circuit (22a) connecting the relay circuit and the neutral point of the electric motor (1,2) and passing through the connecting hole (see Figs. 1 and 2).
Regarding claim 10, KRAUSE in view of SONG teaches the drive device according to claim 1, further comprising
KRAUSE teaches a connecting hole (i.e. the spaces around cut-out 10) is defined between the inverter casing and the relay box, wherein
the relay circuit further includes a connector (bus bar 22a) to which a circuit extending from a battery (109) of the vehicle is connected (see para [0012]), and
the drive device further comprises:
an inverter connection circuit (22b) connecting the inverter (16) and the relay circuit, and passing through the connecting hole (see Figs. 1 and 2 and para [0056]); and
a connector connection circuit connecting the inverter (16) and the connector (22a), and passing through the connecting hole (see Figs. 1 and 2 and para [0056]).
Regarding claim 11, KRAUSE in view of SONG teaches the drive device according to claim 1, further comprising
KRAUSE teaches a connecting hole (i.e. the spaces around cut-out 10) between the inverter casing and the relay box, wherein
the relay circuit further includes a connector (8) to which a circuit extending from a battery of the vehicle is connected, and
the drive device further comprises:
an inverter connection circuit (22b) connecting the inverter (16) and the relay circuit, and passing through the connecting hole (see Figs. 1 and 2 and para [0056]);
a neutral point connection circuit (22a) connecting the relay circuit and the neutral point of the electric motor (1,2), and passing through the connecting hole (see Figs. 1 and 2 and para [0056]); and
a connector connection circuit connecting the inverter (16) and the connector (8), and passing through the connecting hole (see Fig. 1).
Claims 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KRAUSE in view of SONG as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of INOUE (US 20150329176).
Regarding claim 12, KRAUSE in view of SONG teaches the drive device according to claim 1, wherein
KRAUSE teaches the relay box is located outside of the inverter casing in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the electric motor.
However, neither KRAUSE nor SONG teach that the relay box is located outside of the motor casing and the gear casing in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the electric motor.
INOUE teaches a relay box 57 is located outside of a motor casing 25 and a gear casing 44 in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the electric motor (see Fig. 3 and para [0044]).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains to provide the drive device of KRAUSE in view of SONG with the relay box is located outside of the motor casing and the gear casing in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the electric motor, similar to INOUE.
A person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains would have been motivated to make such modification in order to provide easy access to the bus bar modules, suppress the generation of noise, and reduce the length of cables between the battery and the electrical componentry, as taught by SONG (see para [0047] and [0049]).
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Regarding claim 13, KRAUSE in view of SONG and further in view of INOUE teaches the drive device according to claim 12, wherein
INOUE teaches the relay box is directly mounted on outer surfaces of the motor casing, the gear casing, and the inverter casing in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the electric motor (see para [0044] and Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 14, KRAUSE in view of SONG and further in view of INOUE teaches the drive device according to claim 13,
KRAUSE teaches a cooling casing (25) located between the motor casing (9) and the inverter casing (4a) along the axial direction, and including a channel (23a) for supplying a heat medium to the inverter, wherein the relay box is directly mounted on an outer surface of the cooling casing (see KRAUSE, Fig. 1).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US-20140132197-A1 KANAZAWA discloses a relay-switched charging circuit control attached to a neutral point of 3-phase motor; US-20190296605-A1 OKUHATA discloses separate inverter casing 132 and charging circuit casing 107f.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN STEFANON whose telephone number is (703)756-4648. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday and alternate Fridays 8AM - 5PM EDT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Oluseye Iwarere can be reached at (571) 270-5112. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUSTIN STEFANON/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834